1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to monitoring the activity of users of client terminal devices and, more particularly, to a method and system for identifying unique users from user behavioral data.
2. Description of Related Art
Various systems are available for profiling users of client terminal devices. Profiling typically involves determining demographic and interest information on users such as, e.g., age, gender, income, marital status, location, and interests. User profiles are commonly used in selecting targeted advertising and other content to be delivered to particular users. Delivery of targeted content is advantageous. For example, targeted advertising has been found to be generally more effective in achieving user response (such as in click-through rates) than advertising that is generally distributed to all users.
Client terminal devices are commonly used by multiple individual users. For example, a home computer or a household television set can typically be expected to be used by various different family members at different times. Each particular user is likely to have a very different profile from other possible users, making delivery of targeted content ineffective. A need accordingly exists for distinguishing between various possible users at a given client terminal device.